Hat-block.



- L. STEVENS.

HAT BLOCK.

APPLICATION HLED 1ULY13, 191l- RENEWED IAN. 4.1918.

,258,71 8. Patented Mar. 12, 1918.

O f I ZZZ/67263399 lfifieze M W MWQ= mu 40m HAT-BLOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Mar. 12, 1918.

Application filed July 13, 1911, Serial No. 638,283. Renewed January 4, 1918. Serial No; 210,375,

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, LESLIE STEVENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Glen Ridge, county of Essex, and State of New 7 particularly for shaping crowns of so-called square crown hats, that is, hats having crowns which have a fiat top or tip and straight sides perpendicular to the tip. The invention has been made especially with the idea of providing a block for use in shaping the crowns of straw hats. V

With the blocks heretofore usedit has been impossible to shape a straw hat with a very sharply defined edge at the angle between the tip and the sides of the crown, and with the sides extending straight from such'edge all the way to the brim, a'nd, in a square crowned hat, perpendicular tothe tip, or so nearly so that the variation from the desired shape is not noticeable. This is due largely to the characteristic quality of the straw which makes it impossible to shape the hat so that it will retain exactly the form of the block when removed therefrom, and to,

the custom and practical necessity'of making the crown and brim of the hat separately and securing them together by sewing orv otherwise fastening the'upturned inner portion of the brim part to the band or lower part of the sides of the crown. Instead of having the desired shape, therefore, finished hats of this kind, as heretofore made, have had a more or less rounded edge between the tip and the sides, and the sides, particularly atv theirupper and lower portions adjacent to the tip and the brim have bulged outward more or less. The object of the present invention is to provide a block by the use of which straw hats may be shaped with a clearly defined sharp edge between the sides and the tips and with the sides of the crown extending straight without any bulge or deviation from the'tip to the base, and especially with square crowns having the de-' sired straight sides perpendicular to the tip; and these results are securedby the invention, atleast with such anapproach to-abso-.

lute accuracy that any variation is not perceptible. I

shaping square crown hats'and embodying the various features of the invention is shaped with the sides substantially perpendicular to the plane ofthe tip throughout the greater extent ofthe height of the block, and with a short, sharp outwardflare at the tip to join the tip face of the blockat an acute angle, and with the lower or band portion of the sides inclined slightly inward,

and with its tip surface made slightly concave; While the sides of blocks for shaping,

square crown hats maybe made exactly perith these objects inview, ablock for i pendi-cular to the plane ofthe tip throughout the greater portion of the height-of the block, the best efi'ectin' a square crown hat is secured by shaping the block'so that this straight portion of the sides will be very slightly outwardly inclined towardthe tip.

In order that the tip edge may have greater strength and resistance to wear it is made of metal, such metal edge being best provided by setting an edge ring or band into the material of which the main body. of the block ismade. T he base of the block mayalso be provided witha metal edge.

Afull understanding of the-invention can best be given by a detailed description Lofa' block embodying the various features there-' of, and such a description will now be given in connection with the accompanying draw- In said drawings, Figure I shows in side elevation, and Fig. 2 shows in side elevation looking inthe direction t right angles to Fig. l, a block for shaping a square crown h at, portions being broken away to show the sunken tip face and the metal ring set into the block to provide the metal tip edge. The blocklmay be of any desired proportions and may be of any suitable material and construction. The usual material from which blocks of this kind are'made iswood, and the block will, because of its greater cir-. cumferential size'at the tip than at the base, best be-of sectional construction to permit of itslbeing removed from the shaped hat pieceby P1668. Thedrawings indicate a o three piece block'of the construction shown in my application filed July 13, 1911, Serial NO. 638,28. Thesides of the block throughout "the greater portion of its heightars straight and substantially perpendicular to a made.

the plane of the tip edge of the block, and, in the block shown and as will usually be the case, to the base of the block. F or a short distance adjacent to the tip edge I) the sides flare outwardly as shown at a at an angle to the main straight portion a of the sides and so as to form a noticeably acute angle with the plane of the tip; and the lower or band portion c of the sides are formed to slant inwardly at a slight angle to the main portion of the sides, making a slightly obtuse angle with the lower face or base of the block. While the main portion of the sides of the block must be substantially perpendicular to the plane of the tip edge in order to shape a hat with a true square-shaped crown, it is found that the best results are secured by shaping the sides so that the main straight portion shall slant very slightly outward from the perpendicular from its lower to its upper portion, that is, so that the circumferential size of this straight sided portion of the block shall be just slightly greater near the tip but below the outwardly flared portion (1 than it is adjacent to the inwardly slanting base portion of the block.

In using the block, the sharp projecting tip edge provides a support extending into the'tip angle of the hat against whichthe material may be pressed so as to begiven a sharp clearly defined edge from which the sides of the hat crown extend straight downward without the usual bulge adjacent to the tip edge, and when the block is of the shape shown for shaping a square crown hat the sides will extend perpendicular to the plane of the tip. It will be noticed that the projecting tip edge of the block shown leaves a relatively recessed ortion adjacent thereto. Compression of t 1e straw over this relatively recessed portion of the block under the pressure of the iron or other shaping means employed will be less than immediately at the tip angle and over the main portion of the sides of the crown of the hat, and the tendency of the straw to bulge outward at this point will be reduced. The amount of flare to be given to the side of the block adjacent to the tip, and the depth of the resulting relative recess adjacent to the tip, will depend upon the kind of straw of which the hat to be shaped on the block is For a heavy straw, the tip edge should project considerable beyond the line of the straight portion of the side as shown. For a lighter straw the tip edge need not, and should not, project so far as for the heavier straw, and for an extremely light and fine straw a very slight projection is sufficient. For such a very light and fine straw, a block for shaping a square crown will give good results if the sides of the block, except for the inwardly inclined band portion, extend traight, but preferably with the slight outward inclination shown in the drawings, clear up to the tip edge. Even for such a straw, however, a slight projection of the tip edge beyond the line of the main portion of the sides is desirable.

When the brim of a straw hat is secured to a crown in the customary manner of sewing or otherwise securing the upturned inner edge of the brim to the lower or band por tion of the crown, the double thickness of straw thus resulting at the band of the hat usually causes a more or less outward slant or bulge of this portion of the shaped hat. This is avoided with the block shown since the band portion of the block is, becauseof its inwardly inclined face a of such relatively reduced size as to accommodate the extra thickness of material and/enable the side of the crown to be shaped straight clear down to the brim. For best results, the i band portion of the hat is made of relatively less circumferential size than the main portion thereof to accommodate the extra thickness of the band portion of the hat by shaping this part of the block to slant of at an angle to the main portion as shown, rather than by shaping the block so as to have an abrupt joining of the face of the band portion with the face of the main portion of the side of the block, as it is found that with anything approaching an abrupt shoulder between these two parts of the side of the block it is difficult if not impossible to shape the side of the hat crown without giving it a noticeable indication of such shoulder.

In order that the hat may be shaped with a flat tip without any upward bulge either immediately adjacent to the tip edge. or at,

the centely'the tip face 0 of the block if intended for shaping hats of heavy or medium heavystraw is best made slightly concave as shown, so that the tip edge Z) of the blockthis is best done by setting into the material of which the main portion of the block is made a metal band or ring d, which may be secured in place by screws as shown, or in any other suitable manner, and which in a sectional block will be in sections corresponding to the sections of the block, This feature of the invention of providing the block with a metal edge while of special ad vantage in blocks having a sharp edge formed by sldes meeting at an acute angle will also be found of advantage and may be employed in other blocks having edges which it is desired shall be resistant to Wear and injury; and such metal edge may be provided otherwise than by means of a ring set into the block, as by securing a metal plate to the face of the block such as the plate forming the base face of the block shown in the drawings.

' What is claimed is 1. A hat block for shaping square crown hats, having its sides vertically straight and substantially perpendicular to the plane of its tip face throughout the greater portion of the height of the block and formed to slant slightly outward at the tip beyond the adjacent portion of the vertical sides to meet the tip face at an acute angle.

2. A hat block for shaping square crownhats having its sides formed to 'flare outwardly at the tip to meet the tip face of the block at an acute angle, having its sides throughout the greater portion of the height ofthe block substantially perpendicular to the plane of the tip edge, and having the lower portion of the sides formed to slant inward. 3. A hatblock for shaping square crown hats having its tip face slightly concave and having its sides formed to flare outwardly at the tip to meet the tip face of the block at an acute angle, having its sides V throughout the greater portion of the height of the block substantially perpendicular to the plane of the tip edge, and having the lower portion of the sides formed to slant inward.

l. A hat block having its sides extending straight throughout the greater extent of the height of the block, and having its tip and side faces adjacent to the meeting edges of the faces shaped to slant outwardly to form an acute angled edge to project above the main portion of the tip face of the block and'outward beyond the plane of the main portion of the sides of the block.

5. A hat block having its sides extending straight throughout the greater extent of the height of the block, and having the lower or band portion of the sides formed to slant inwardly at a slight angle to the main portion of the sides.

6. A hat block for shaping. square crown hats, having its hand portion of reduced circumferential size as compared with the adjacent portions of the block.

7. A hat block for shaping square crown hats, having the tip of the block of greater Copies of this patent may be obtained for circumferential size than the band portion thereof, and having the intermediate portion of the block throughout the greater extent of its height of a circumferential size intermediate that of the tip and band portion. 7

8. A hat block having its side and tip faces formed to meet at an acute angle at the tip edge, and having a metal tip edge provided by a metal ring set into the block with its outer surface flush with the adjacent surface of the block. 7

9. A hat block having its side and tip faces'formed to meet at an acute angle at the tip edge, and having a metal tip edge provided by a metal edge ring.

10. A hat block having its side and tip faces formed to meet at an acute angle at the tip edge, and having the tip edge formed of a material having greater wear resisting qualities than the material of which the main portion of the blockis formed.

11. A wooden hat block having acircumferential shaping edge formed of'a materlal having greater wear resisting quallties,

than the material of which the main portion of the block is formed.

12. A hat block having a wooden body and an annular metallic band surrounding one end thereof and shaped into a sharp tip forming edge.

13. A hat block comprising a wooden body portion having a rabbet formed around one end thereof and a metallic rim setin said rabbet and shaped into a sharp tip forming edge.

14. A hat block having its sides straight in the direction from the lower to the upper portion of the block throughout the greater portion of the height of the block and formed to extend slightly outward at the tip beyond the'adjacent portion of the sides.

15. A hat block for shaping square crown hats, having its sides vertically straight and inclined outward very slightly in the direction from the lower to the upper portion of the block throughout the greater portion Witnesses.

' JEANNETTE S'roRK,

A. L. KENT.

LESLIE STEVENS.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, A

Washington, D. O. 

